HOW TO ACTIVELY ENGAGE IN THE IAC
The International Astronautical Congress (IAC) is a five day congress taking place during the September/October timeframe each year in
a different location around the world. The upcoming IAC 2025 will be held in Sydney, Australia between 29 September - 3 October 2025.
The IAC is not only a Congress, but a gathering of the international space community that actively contributes to shaping a different and
exciting programme every year. There are several different ways that you can actively be part of the congress and this guide will help you
better understand which role you and your organization can play at the IAC and the various deadlines to meet. Here below you can find
the IAC Congress at a Glance with the general schedule for the main IAC events: Plenaries, IAF Global Networking Forum (GNF) Sessions,
Technical Sessions, Special Sessions and the Interactive Presentation (IP) Sessions.
Should you have any questions or any doubts on where your submission would be most suitable within the IAC programme, please do not
hesitate to get in touch with the IAF Secretariat at support@[Link]
Be Part of the Conversation at IAC 2025!
8:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00
Technical Sessions
MONDAY Welcome Recep�on
29 SEPTEMBER VIP Opening Opening Special Sessions PE 2 Host
VIP Luncheon* PE 1
Gathering Ceremony Exhibi�on GNF Sessions Plenary
(AGENCY DAY) VIP Cocktail*
IAF General Assembly
Technical Sessions IP Session Technical Sessions
TUESDAY YP Event
Special Sessions Special Sessions
30 SEPTEMBER Industry
PE 3 Industry PE 4 HLL 1
Breakfast
GNF Sessions
Luncheon*
(INDUSTRY DAY) GNF Sessions
IAF Global Space Leaders
Summit
WEDNESDAY IDEA Technical Sessions IP Session Technical Sessions
1 OCTOBER "3G+" YP Event
PE 5 Special Sessions IDEA "3G+" PE 6 Special Sessions HLL 2
Diversity
Diversity
(DIVERSITY DAY) Breakfast GNF Sessions GNF Sessions
Luncheon*
Interac�ve
Ceremony
THURSDAY Technical Sessions Technical Sessions
IP Award
2 OCTOBER Science & Presenta�ons IAC 2026 Launch Recep�on*
Special Sessions Session Special Sessions
Academic PE 7 HLL 3
Breakfast GNF Sessions Science & GNF Sessions
(SCIENCE &
Academic
ACADEMIC DAY) IAF Bureau Mee�ng IISL Moot Court IISL Dinner*
Luncheon*
Technical Sessions Technical Sessions
FRIDAY Late Special Sessions Special Sessions
3 OCTOBER VIP Closing
Breaking Luncheon*
Gala Dinner
GNF Sessions Ceremony
(PUBLIC DAY) News
IAF Bureau
IAF General Assembly
Mee�ng
Connecting @ll Space People
BECOME AN ACTOR AT IAC 2025
PLENARY PROGRAMME TECHNICAL PROGRAMME
Plenary Events IAF GNF Sessions Technical Sessions Special Sessions
IAF Member Organizations IAF Member Organizations
Who can Apply? representatives and Sponsors
Open to Everyone Open to Everyone
Fill in Plenary Application Fill in GNF Application Fill in online Abstract Fill in online Special Session
How to Apply? Form and send to Form and submit to Submission Form at Application Form at
iacplenary@[Link] gnf@[Link] [Link] [Link]
International Programme
Who Selects? IPC Steering Group IAF Vice President for GNF
Committee (IPC)
IPC Steering Group
When is the Deadline
7 February 2025 18 April 2025 28 February 2025 7 February 2025
to Apply?
Please note that each proposal shall only be submitted once to either a Plenary, GNF or SpS session.
Proposals that are submitted multiple times will automatically be disqualified.
PLENARY PROGRAMME
ELEMENTS
Plenary Events IAF Global Networking Forum (GNF)
Open to IAF Members only Open to IAF Members, sponsors and newly applying IAF Members
Topic to be of interest to a large segment of Congress attendees
12 Total Slots
300-1000 Delegates 7 PEs 100-300 Delegates
2/3 HLLs
Evaluation Criteria: 1/2 LBNs Evaluation Criteria: +/- 20 slots
• Proposed topic (Industry, Exploration, Next Generation, Emerging Coun- • Topics (Industry, Exploration, Culture, Diversity, Legal and Policy, Devel-
tries, Environment, Other) opment, etc.)
• Event Format: • Event format:
◦ PEs: 4/7 Speakers and a Moderator ◦ panel discussions
◦ HLLs: 1/2 Speakers and a Moderator ◦ keynote lectures
◦ LBNs: flexible format ◦ workshops
◦ pitch competitions
• Originality of the proposal, as compared to recent IAC Plenary Events
◦ corporate promotional events
• Timeliness of the topic with respect to current developments in the space
• Relevance of the proposal to the theme of the congress
sector
• Quality and originality of the proposal
• Relevance of the proposal to the theme of the congress
• Relevance with regards to the current space sector developments
• Quality and expertise of the proposed presenters
• Ability of the organizers to obtain the proposed speakers and execute a
• Ability of the proposers and organizers to obtain the proposed presenters
quality event
and execute a quality event
• Possibility for the organizer to sponsor the session
More Info HERE More Info HERE
TECHNICAL PROGRAMME
ELEMENTS
ELEMENTS
Technical Sessions (TS) & Interactive Presentations (IP) Special Sessions (SpS)
Open to everyone *(submission and onsite presentation does not apply for delegates who intend to register as Open to everyone *(submission and onsite presentation does not apply for delegates who intend to register as
press, accompanying persons or exhibitor staff) press, accompanying persons or exhibitor staff)
Topic to be of interest to a targeted segment of the Congress attendees
50-250 Delegates 20-200 Delegates
TS: +/- 2000 slots
Evaluation Criteria: IP: +/- 800 slots Evaluation Criteria: +/- 20 slots
• Topics • Innovative event format:
◦ Science and Exploration ◦ workshop
◦ Applications and Operations ◦ campfire
◦ Technology ◦ fishbowl
◦ Infrastructure ◦ samoan circle
◦ Space and Society ◦ design sprint
◦ orca bowl challenge
• Direct applicability of the abstract submission to astronautics
◦ open options (panels will not be considered)
• Scientific merit, originality and attractiveness of the subject
• Special Sessions shall complement the regular Technical Programme with
• Compliance with the word count and format requirements for abstracts multidisciplinary topics that highlight current scientific and technical trends
• Event Format: in space
◦ oral presentation of 10-20 minutes • Participatory session focusing on audience engagement
◦ interactive presentation of 10 minutes
• Quality of contents
• Relevance to the theme of the Congress
More Info HERE More Info HERE
